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It is quite interesting how one’s life can be filled with joy and then suddenly emptied and then torn apart ruthlessly. One could say being obsessive simply sets you up for failure. The theme of obsession seems to cover Nicci French’s “Your Place or Mine” throughout the entire story. The dialogue seems so one-sided at first. Laurence seemed to be trying much harder to talk to her. The dialogue begins to progress when both begin to find themselves in the same situation of trying to impress each other. The dialogue begins to flip on its side and the unfortunate events that are to follow seem to be from a place of loneliness and insecurity. One can tell which character ends up sliding into the realm of insane.

By knowing exactly what each character was thinking, the novel seemed to be easier to comprehend. By having the columnar format, it captivates the reader and it becomes enjoyable to read. Details of the story become easier to find with the spaces preventing any mind wandering. The spaces between the character’s texts also maintain the distance between them. There is never a moment where they are on same page in terms of affection. The dialogue reveals this with clarity. In the beginning, Terry did not seem to put as much effort into this developing relationship while Laurence went out of his way to learn more about her. The relationship eventually develops to a point where Terry becomes emotional just by his presence and Laurence becomes hesitant.

One could say this particular relationship is a fictional construct of modern relationships on a smaller scale. Terry and Laurence always seem to be the antithesis of each other.

This beautiful orchestral piece compares well with the imagery being produced in Pry. The combination of the powerful brass instruments with the delicate, fine wind instruments detail how Pry enchants and paints the picture for you with the various interactive elements in the story, similar to how you feel enchanted by clarinets playing stale notes at 1:06, the entire band playing at a fortissimo, or even when the French horns begin the song. The traumatic flashbacks from the demolition can be represented by the sudden crescendos and the powerful attack by the trumpets backed by the rest of the orchestra at 2:10. The trumpet solo at 1:30 and the reintroduction of the orchestra at 1:50 also represent and visualize the emotional pain James undergoes throughout the story.

Amparito Roca

The unveiling of the entire story can be represented by this piece in the sense of the unexpected way events unravel and the escalation of the song finds a connection with the sudden change of circumstances for James. The varying tempos and dynamics also aid in the process of making every moment in Pry unpredictable. The variety of percussion (symbols, bass drum, snare drum, timpani, chimes) in this song is equivalent to the layers of content that Pry Applies to dictionary to forge a compelling story.

Lean On

To focus on one part of Pry, the braille text is a feature of the story that I do not enjoy. I find it irritating and useless, but by having the braille, oddly enough, it reveals the frustrations that James experiences. I find many elements of the song irritating, such as the trap (production) elements, the bass drop, and the grating, meaningless vocals. When the terrible elements come together though, it only creates a fascinating story, which is the exact effect the braille has on Pry.

To some, the Siwash Rock is simply just a rock. To others, the Siwash Rock is a beautiful feature of our diverse ecosystem. To those of the Squamish people who are indigenous to British Columbia, the rock symbolizes a deep connection to the land and all their traditions and values.

The image of a soldier comes to mind when I personally think of one who sacrifices for those he loves. Just like how the chief becomes a rock to immortalize their essence to the land, the soldier is also immortalized by having soldier memorials that honour their service.

The chief deviates from regular people during his passing. To live a clean fatherhood to purify himself for his family whilst standing in the face of adversity, he becomes a person who is imbued with these traits of being brave and loyal. He becomes of hero.

There are levels of love. There is the love you show for one another. That could be considered common courtesy. There is the love where you find your first crush. That’s puppy love. Then there is sacrificing yourself for others. That is undoubtedly true love when one can place a higher value on their loved ones other themselves.

We associate the Siwash Rock to the young chief, because he is deserving of such a distinction. All of us seek to find the same kind of love in our lives. The feeling of having that true love in our lives is similar to that of having being on top of a gigantic mountain. We become unstoppable.

Before Roald Dahl wrote some of the greatest children’s stories of the 20th century, he primarily wrote short stories. In 1942, after finding marginal success with his first children’s book, The Gremlin, he began to write short stories for adults. Oddly enough, a talented writer such as Dahl had a few of his stories rejected by the New Yorker. One of the stories was “Lamb to the Slaughter”.

Lamb to the Slaughter is a story revolving around Mary Maloney, a loving wife married to a detective named Patrick. Patrick reveals to Mary that he is going to leave her. She looks oddly calm, especially for someone holding back a surprise. Dahl never blatantly reveals Mary Maloney’s emotions nor her thoughts. Roald Dahl’s story “Lamb to the Slaughter” utilizes the method of unraveling every fine detail of the story to enthrall the reader.

Towards the beginning of the story, we learn that “each minute gone by made it nearer the time he [Patrick] would come [home]” (1). Dahl proceeds to slowly, but surely unwind the rest of the story. Roald Dahl makes sure not to leave out anything by describing exactly what Patrick does when he gets home and their dialogue. This sets up the pace of the story, which effectively works to create an enhanced and impactful climax.

Mary Maloney is a character that “Dahl painted as a doting, overly-concerned, rather weak-minded character” (Roshan, page 2). However, this is not the case. By unraveling every small detail before Patrick decides to tell her he’s leaving her, Dahl sets up an unexpected climax where “[she] brought it [the leg of lamb] down as hard as she could…” (3). This pacing should either captivate the reader or they will find the entire story excruciating.

To conclude, the short story is one that I would personally recommend. Identity was a prevalent theme that stuck with me. Mary turned out to be a brutal and calculating personality under her reserved and spineless exterior. It’s quite interesting to connect that reoccurring theme back to reality where everybody has layers of their true selves. We judge people based on their appearance, even though we do not know them. If you find yourself intrigued by the dark humour, the interesting connections to reality, and even the steady pace of the story, “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl should be a fascinating experience.

Musicians typically write music that reflects their personal experiences. Artists also create images that require the input of their personal experiences. Similarly, writers do the exact same thing when they create stories. This is no different for Jane Austen, whose creation of Sanditon reflects on her personal life quite greatly. What we come to understand is that the characters in the novel are plagued with health issues with several “coincidental” injuries. These occurrences are not accidental. What Austen was experiencing during the time of writing Sanditon was Addison’s Disease and the feeling of being disinherited by her late uncle for leaving his wealth to his wife. We also learn that Lady Denham and the Hollis family had inheritance issues that were that were similar to the issues Jane Austen had (Nattress, 2012).

Jane Austen also gives details such as how the town had an underlying dark side to it that featured business ventures and empty promises that gave no real product. There is an intriguing resemblance between her dire health situation and the deteriorating health of those who resorted to the final solution of leaving for Sanditon.

Seemingly this small seaside town known as Sanditon can very well be her fictional interpretation of some southern seaside town in the United Kingdom (specifically a town such as Winchester) where she could be talking about herself and Winchester. Basically In May of 1817, her brother and sister look to get help for their sister so they went to Winchester (Warren, 2008). The setting and plot reveal an inspiration for this unfinished novella to be a compilation of personal experiences in Jane Austen’s own Winchester.